Introducing the Apple iPlank
A fool and his money are soon parted, said poet Thomas Tusser in 1557.
iHope she got a receipt.
Thanks to those who shop for electronics in McDonald’s parking lots, that idiom holds true today.
The Smoking Gun provides the details: Ashley McDowell, from Spartanburg, S.C., was at the fast food restaurant when two men asked her if she wanted to buy an iPad. They showed her a brand new iPad and told her they’d give her one just like it for $300.
She talked them down to $180 and they gave her a FedEx box from the trunk of their Impala.
Lo and behold, when she opened the box, she found out she was an iDiot.
Instead of a much-beloved tablet computer, she was the proud owner of a piece of wood painted black and adorned with Apple and Best Buy stickers.
Police say the scam is unusual only in that the crooks took the time to create a crude facsimile of the sold item.
Note: The original version of this story incorrectly said the men offered to sell a stolen iPad.
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76 comments Add your comment
Ed
August 31st, 2011
6:37 pm
Just my opinion, but this is much cooler: http://rplank.piratepalooza.com/
Billy Davis
August 31st, 2011
6:54 pm
Interestingly, that same scam is going on in Dallas.
Downtown
August 31st, 2011
7:12 pm
Life is hard, but harder when you are Stupid!
Michael
August 31st, 2011
7:18 pm
Only a story because it’s an iPad. In the 70’s the crooks would sell a VCR and the VCR box filled with rocks.
Don’t Take Any Wooden IPads « Eat It Or Wear It
August 31st, 2011
7:30 pm
[...] scammers swindle $180 from South Carolina woman Cops On The Hunt For Duplicitous iPlank Scammers Introducing the Apple iPlank I Didn’t Know You Could Buy iPads In McDonald’s Parking Lots, Let Alone Wooden Ones Woman [...]
Tool Man Dan
August 31st, 2011
7:41 pm
Oldest trick in the book. Sorry that there are still people out there stupid enough to fall for it.
Hilliard Crump
August 31st, 2011
8:04 pm
Wonder what color the people were that sold her the box….
Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Trey
August 31st, 2011
8:21 pm
She deserves it. She could have gotten one from Wal Mart, but nope, she chose to get one from criminals. Of course, they may not have been criminals, but scam artists, who take advantage of the stupid. That shouldn’t be a crime. If you’re stupid to fall for it, you deserve it.
Lisa
August 31st, 2011
8:29 pm
Don’t the iPads have that internal GPS that can locate stolen iPads? I thought that happened when the Target in Atlanta was robbed of them. Who knows? You get what you pay for!
King Gator
August 31st, 2011
8:32 pm
it has an awesome iSplinter app